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Tuesday, 26 August 2014; One Year, One Hundred and Forty Eight Days Old.

Our nights out for dinner have changed.

Instead of looking for fancy restraunts with a certain sort of atmosphere, good food and cosy little nooks to relax in and chat, we now look for food outlets that are within 10km radius and provide kids club facilities.

We went out for dinner tonight for Hubby’s birthday that’s tomorrow, and we found ourselves at the local sports club.

We promptly tracked down the kids club and claimed a table right by the window, before ordering overpriced and undercooked meals that took far to long to arrive.

However, none of that mattered. As Hubby and I sat beside an empty high chair, we peered in through the window and watched our little girl play.

Ayla tried her best at making friends but the other children in the club were older, glued to the TV screen and the computer games so Ayla turned her attention to drawing on the blackboard walls with chalk.

As Ayla toddled about the kids club Hubby and I had plenty of time to chat, but instead we watched in awe at the gorgeous, smart little human we created and we decided that sports clubs with kids clubs might just be our kinda thing after all.

Saturday 24 May 2014: one Year and Fifty Three Days Old.
Ayla went to her first kids party today, and I’m sure it was only the first of countless kids birthdays that will become part of the weekend landscape for Hubby and I.

Our friends have a now three year old daughter and a now one year old son with birthdays just a fortnight apart, and today Ayla joined them to celebrate, play with friends, eat ice cream cake and play party games!

There was also a petting zoo at the party that kept most of the kids busy, although Ayla seemed a little tentative when she went in with her Daddy.

It might have just been all the excitement in the air that made Ayla think twice about touching the bunnies and bantams on Hubby lap, but she certainly loved watching the other kids squeal with delight as they cuddled little furry bundles of joy.

Ayla watched on intently as the bigger kids played pass the parcel, and looked like she wanted to jump in and blow out the candles when the cake came out.

Ayla also joined in a game of musical statues, squealing in disappointment whenever the music stopped!

After a fun couple of hours it eventually became time to go so we bundled a tired little baby Ayla out of the house with a lolly-box under one arm and a balloon tied to the other.

It’s not surprising though, considering Ayla’s been showered with gifts every day for the past week!

As soon as we bring a present out and tell Ayla it’s hers, her little face lights up in a huge smile and she comes crawling over to it like a bat outta hell!

Ayla immediately commences banging on the present like a drum, all the while showing her cheekiest, toothiest grin, in a move that makes us think she’s trying to guess what’s inside!

But in all manners of politeness Ayla knows to open the card first, and once Hubby or I have split the envelope Ayla grabs hold of the card and pulls it free before opening it like a book.

Ayla then hands the card back so that Hubby or I can read it out while she goes back to banging on the present.

When the time comes to tear open her gift Ayla still needs a little help, but once the paper-peeling begins Ayla starts craning her neck to see what’s inside!

What surprises me the most is Ayla’s reaction to her gifts…

If it’s a soft toy, she cuddles it. An interactive toy, and she tries to work out where the buttons are. A book and Ayla tries to read it, and if it’s an ornament, keepsake or artwork Ayla strokes it gently and sits back calmly as if she knows it precious.

I guess Ayla’s aptness at present opening is a clear demonstration of how lucky she is, not so much because of ALL the gifts, but because she has so many people in her life who want to spoil her rotten!

I think I was too busy yesterday to realise the significance of it all but today it hit me like a tonne of bricks.

A one year old.

Judging by how quickly the past twelve months have gone I can only imagine the next year will fly by even faster, then the one after will shoot past… and I can almost see the years tick over as Ayla gets older!

Our little family has so much to look forward to over the next twelve months; walking, talking, sleeping through the night (please, oh please!), learning to paint and draw, and making friends.

It amazes me just how many “firsts” Ayla still has to go through, and how the greatness of each milestone she achieves will so quickly be overshadowed by another.

I love watching my baby girl grow and develop, but at the same time I revel in her newness and dread the day it will be gone.

But for now, every new day seems like a new chapter in the best book I’ve ever read; I can’t put it down, I can’t wait to find out what happens next and I never want to finish it.